Sequestration cuts to affect Eagle Pass Housing Authority’s Section 8 Program
By: Jose G. Landa
An Exclusive Eagle Pass Business Journal News Story/Copyright 2013
The United States federal government budget sequestration cuts which took effect on March 1, 2013 is seriously impacting national public housing authorities including the Housing Authority of the City of Eagle Pass, Texas on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that public housing authorities in the State of Texas are scheduled to lose $54 million in funding to their Section 8 Low Rent Voucher Program.
Eagle Pass Housing Authority Executive Director Carla Yvette Mancha-Juarez advised the Eagle Pass Business Journal in an interview that the local housing authority is scheduled to lose $95,000 from it Section 8 Low Rent Voucher Program as a result of the sequestration cuts.
“We are looking at the realistic effects of the sequestration and are working on how to soften the blow to those who are already on the program. We are in the process off enacting a sound strategy to deal with the reality of what’s to come and we are trying to curtail a drastic impact to the Housing Voucher Program and those that depend on it for housing,” said Mancha-Juarez.
Mancha-Juarez added that she will “have more details on how it will be worked out once I have all the numbers and consult with our Board of Commissioners and we begin to set our action into place.”
Possible scenarios within the Eagle Pass Housing Authority include not adding any new applicants to the Housing Voucher Program’s existing 431 active vouchers and to not replace existing vouchers which are terminated or lost by tenants due to various reasons such as families leaving the program, terminations caused by evictions to non-complying tenants, and other possibilities. Nothing has been decided until the Board of Commissioners have been presented the situation and placed on their monthly board meeting agenda for their action.